Palm Pre poised to grab attention of once Apple fanboys?

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Samantha Rose Hunt11 March 2009, 12:00 PM

The release of the Palm Pre will be timed exactly to catch iPhone customers coming off contract.


In the United States, the Pre - which will make or break Palm's fortunes - will be offered exclusively by Sprint. No local carrier announcement has been made in Australia yet, though one-carrier exclusive deals are becoming more common.

Palm needs this phone to be successful as they must reverse their last six straight quarter losses which have cost the company over $650 million.

The device is schedule to release prior to the end of June. This is a perfect launch time, and quite possibly planned for a reason as the initial iPhone 1.0 contracts are slated to expire simultaneously.

Palm investor Roger McNamee is hitting the streets hard to market and push the device, which he believes will be an iPhone killer."You know the beautiful thing: June 29, 2009, is the two- year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone," said McNamee to Bloomberg. "Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later."

"Think about it -- If you bought the first iPhone, you bought it because you wanted the coolest product on the market," stated McNamee. "Your two-year contract has just expired. Look around. Tell me what they’re going to buy."

The Palm Pre features a full touch-screen casing which slides to reveal a Qwerty keyboard which will appeal both to fans of the iPhone’s touch screen as well as people who tend to utilize a standard smartphone for the keyboard.

The price is not yet available, but it's not expected to be unaffordable, as it must combat the iPhone 3G and the next revision of the iPhone in the market.


Judging by the press kit and available information the Palm Pre is an awesome device; however for many individuals the concept of beating the iPhone is impossible. Many people will be thinking: "For all I know the device could be phenomenal, but who am I to judge until I’ve gotten my hands on one?"

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MJD (User):

I personally think this device runs rings around the iphone. The problem is convincing people of that. The iphone has somehow become the benchmark of phones, I can't remember the last time I read an actual review of a phone rather than a comparison to the iphone.

11 March 2009, 1:29 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Michael Quinn (User):

WOW not only are you guys a week late reporting this news about Roger McNamee pimping the uberness of the Palm Pre - you also missed his lawyers rushing out to withdraw all of his statements.

http://tr.im/he31

Basically none of the gushing and crap he went on about has any strength behind it. It sounds like the Pre isn't even confirmed for the States this year let alone anywhere else in the world. Don't forget the Pre 1 is not a GSM device so we would have to wait for Rev 2 before they make one that works here. Wouldn't expect that for at least 6-12 months AFTER the original rolls out.

The way Palm is bleeding money I doubt we will even see the Pre released.

Yes it's an awesome looking phone - 10x better than any Windows Mobile device going around. But at the moment its about as sexy as a advert for Flying Cars on The Jetsons.

11 March 2009, 3:46 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting Michael Quinn:
not only are you guys a week late

for what? how can you be a week late when reporting on a yet to be released product?


Quoting Michael Quinn:
you also missed his lawyers rushing out to withdraw all of his statements.

clever lawyers those? do they have time diversion equipment?


Quoting Michael Quinn:
Don't forget the Pre 1 is not a GSM device so we would have to wait for Rev 2 before they make one that works here.

Why does it require an entire revision just to have model that support another phone system?


Quoting Michael Quinn:
I doubt we will even see the Pre released.

you can doubt all you wish.


Quoting Michael Quinn:
10x better than any Windows Mobile device going around.

not 11x or 9x? Do you have details of how this better phone scale is determined?


Quoting Michael Quinn:
But at the moment its about as sexy as a advert for Flying Cars on The Jetsons.

Whatever floats your boat.


11 March 2009, 3:57 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Michael Quinn (User):

Roger McNamee trying to drum up media over the Pre was a week ago on March 5 - little late reporting it here. As I said, his lawyers issued a statement this morning retracting his statements.

Don't know if you know a lot about product cycles and retail - generally a big product like this wont see a revision for at least 6 months once its out (if ever). They will want to spend at least 6 months promoting the hell out of it in USA before worrying about what's next.

I don't wish for Palm to go - I've had 4 or 5 of them since the original Pilot and love em. Until the iPhone I always carried a T|X as well as a mobile. But reality is they have been a mess for 5 years and its only this Evolution group propping them up. I hope Pre comes out and is a huge hit. But I honestly don't see them surviving without a takeover.

11 March 2009, 11:40 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting Michael Quinn:
Roger McNamee trying to drum up media over the Pre was a week ago

And?

Quoting Michael Quinn:
his lawyers issued a statement this morning retracting his statements

magic clearly.


Quoting Michael Quinn:
Don't know if you know a lot about product cycles and retail

But your going to enlighten me right?


Quoting Michael Quinn:
generally a big product like this wont see a revision for at least 6 months once its out (if ever).

Or it will have already been designed with versions for parallel markets. But yeah about this retail magic.


Quoting Michael Quinn:
They will want to spend at least 6 months promoting the hell out of it in USA before worrying about what's next.

If that is their marketing strategy, otherwise they could be doing something entirely different. But let's keep guessing.



Quoting Michael Quinn:
I've had

That's nice ....


Quoting Michael Quinn:
But I honestly don't see them surviving without a takeover.

based upon? What's to say a quality product, (if in fact this release fits that criteria)could not change?


11 March 2009, 11:57 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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